Governor’s response: Focus on reforms

Published 12:00 am Monday, July 15, 2013

Editor’s note: This is a letter Gov. Pat McCrory wrote to the New York Times in response to its editorial on North Carolina.

The North Carolina I’m leading today is on a powerful comeback. After just six months of problem-solving leadership and making the tough decisions that we were elected to do, there is significant movement on vital reforms to tax policy, energy, education, economic development and transportation.
While it may not be apparent to the very liberal worldview of the Times, North Carolina’s new focus on reform is paying off. Already companies have announced plans to create more than 9,300 jobs in the state and invest more than $1.1 billion in facilities. The jet engine manufacturer GE Aviation is bringing its advanced materials production to a new facility near Asheville.
My reforms have stepped on the toes of the political right and the left who are vested in the old ways of doing business. But in my 14 years as mayor of Charlotte, I learned that it didn’t matter whether a good idea came from a Republican or a Democrat.
What mattered was whether it solved a problem and did so at a cost taxpayers could afford.
This collaborative, problem-solving, focused leadership transformed Charlotte from a regional hub into a leading national metropolitan center.
This focus on pragmatic problem-solving is now fueling North Carolina’s comeback to prosperity as well.
— Pat McCrory

Governor